Efforts have been underway for many years to develop improved apparatus and techniques for the passive heating and cooling of buildings and other structures. Passive solar heating and cooling generally involve a transfer of energy by radiation through a panel into a thermal mass or fluid. In heating applications, solar energy is normally stored in the thermal mass and is then radiated into a building or other structure for heating the interior thereof.
A large number of different solar heating devices have been developed in the prior art. Although earlier designs in solar heating devices generally required exterior mounting on the roof of a building or structure, more recent designs have placed emphasis on devices which can be installed directly in the walls of a building. However, such devices have not been readily accepted commercially by builders and other developers because of their high cost, the difficulty of incorporating such devices into standard housing plans, and the adverse visual and aesthetic impact on the overall house design perceived by the majority of home buyers.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a solar heating module which is economical to manufacture and install.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a solar heating module which is readily adaptable to installation in buildings of standard design between building studs or rough wall openings, as is the practice with conventional windows.
Another object of the invention is to provide a prepackaged solar heating unit with glazing attached, which may be easily installed by a builder.
Another object of the invention is to provide a solar heating module which may be installed directly in the frame of a building without significantly modifying the aesthetic lines of the building.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a solar heating module which can be easily installed in a building frame, including a thermal mass storage member and the glazing sheet which may be separately attached or detached from the building frame.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.